Washington Times: Public Advocate, Others Warn President Donald Trump About William Pryor

January 25, 2017

As President Trump nears a decision this week on his Supreme Court nominee, conservative groups are actively trying to derail at least two of the judges reported to be at the top of his list, saying they can't be relied on to pursue conservative goals from the federal bench.

Today the Washington Times Reports:

One group is running ads accusing 11th U.S. Circuit Court Judge William Pryor of showing hostility toward religious liberty in a 2011 case, and another is warning Mr. Trump not to pick 10th U.S. Circuit Court Judge Neil Gorsuch, saying he has not shown enough devotion to pro-life causes.

Mr. Trump met with top senators Tuesday to begin the consultation process. He said he wants to make his decision this week and announce the nominee next week.

The next justice will tip the ideological balance on the now-deadlocked Supreme Court and replace Antonin Scalia, a conservative stalwart whose seat has been empty since his death nearly a year ago.

Public Advocate, run by conservative activist Eugene Delgaudio, has launched online ads in the Washington area trying to raise opposition to Judge Pryor, a former Alabama attorney general, saying he didn't do enough to protect Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore in a 2003 legal battle over posting the Ten Commandments at his courthouse.

"Public Advocate has budgeted a lot of money refuting some of the legal issues [Judge] Pryor takes so lightly, and as I point out frequently: No other judge has removed an elected official, like Roy Moore, for believing in God and the Ten Commandments in the history of our country," Mr. Delgaudio said.

His ads also highlight a case in which Judge Pryor was involved in which the appeals court ruled that a college did not discriminate against a student who was expelled for refusing to attend a gay pride parade. Going to the parade was part of "remediation" measures for the Christian student, who was studying counseling...........